A Small Wave Can Become a Tsunami
by then00b12
Summary: Kabukichou is at war, unrest amongst rival factions, in a struggle to maintain peace where all hope is lost, can Gintoki do it, even if he's fighting against time, and ultimately the world? Time Travel Fic Connecting Various Arcs from Gintama
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: If you are not caught up in the anime I suggest that you are before reading this.**

Gintoki stopped in front of the old mechanic's shop. He casually picked his nose as he called out the old man's name.

"Old man! I'm here to pick up my ride!"

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean that I can't hear. You're here to pick up your little bike?" it was Gengai. He removed his gloves and wiped the sweat from atop his bald head. His scruffy beard was stuffed with soot.

"Yes old man. Now where is it? I have a pachinko tournament in a bit," Gintoki retorted at the old mechanic.

"It wasn't a big deal. Just needed a little tune-up." Gengai directed Gintoki into his shop and showed him his shiny ride.

And there it was, Gintoki's ride, silver like his soul and vibrant like his attitude.

"I added some components to it. I increased its acceleration by 150% and its horsepower by 180%." Gengai added to his work.

"Whatever, old man."

"Kid, that will be 30,000 yen."

"I'll pay you later old man." Gintoki waved off as he was already riding off.

Gengai shook his head and rubbed his Santa-like beard as he pulled out a switch with a giant red button.

"Sorry kid. But I don't like people who freeload my service." And with that he pushed the red button.

Gintoki was casually enjoying the wind blowing against his naturally looking curly hair.

Then a red alarm starting blaring from the dashboard on his ride.

His scooter started to shudder and rock uncontrollably.

Gintoki began to panic, what in the world was happening? Noticing the blaring red dashboard on his stuttering bike, Gintoki in desperation, punched it.

And then everything became white.

Gintoki awoke with a stir from the jittering air on his back.

Gintoki observed his surroundings: A dark alleyway that stank like fish. He was happily placed and seated next to some slimy old garbage and an old mop.

_Where am I? _Gintoki thought to himself.

Another breeze.

Gintoki noticed his bike perfectly standing directly in front of him.

One problem, the dashboard is still blaring red.

Gintoki grumbled as he got up and walked over to the bike.

A message was shown on the dashboard amongst all the redness:

"Ginnoji. I don't know what you did to cause this chaos but please return to Kabukichou immediately. Get on the bike and press the giant red button that is next to the dashboard."

- Gengai

Gintoki briefly read the message and pondered around the concept of returning to his dump of a house. He noticed the obviously red button on the dashboard. He had no idea what this was all about but he didn't want to go home to hear Shinpachi whine and moan about the lack of customers lately.

Gintoki sighed. He decided to conform and go home but then something stopped him.

It was the slight hum of a man walking down the street next to the dark alleyway where Gintoki stood, Hattori Zenzou, the JUMP ninja reading his manga. To many, Zenzou is a fun person to be around, to Gintoki: he is the son of a bitch who trolled the shit out of his dignity with five of his closest female friends.

Now it's time for some payback.

Gintoki went to the old mop that he woke up next to and grabbed it. Slithering like a snake to his prey, Gintoki then peered over to focus on his target.

Zenzou, wearing his iconic long scarf and dug into the newest edition of JUMP, hummed an eloquent tune in the nightly air.

_Perfect_ Gintoki thought to himself. Then he struck.

Gintoki gripped the icy cold mop with his fingers and then manipulated his Shiroyasha speed and unleashed hell on Zenzou.

Gintoki stuck the mop up his anus.

The handle part first.

With a giant yelp of pain, Zenzou leaped into the air and collapsed in the side of the road.

Unable to contain his laughter, Gintoki sprinted back to his bike and immediately pressed the red button as he sat on the driver's seat. Again, whiteness.

What Gintoki doesn't know is what he had just done will forever change the fate of Kabukichou and Edo and possibly the world; such simple actions can have ripple effects on the world.

**Kabukichou **

Gintoki awoke with a shiver. A cold gust of air rustling his wavy hair, Gintoki fought the graininess that muddied his vision as he pulled himself together to get up.

Harmoniously simultaneous clanks of metal echoed in Gintoki's ears as his vision cleared up. The blurry sight soon became pieced together to reveal an angry samurai wielding a sword directly at Gintoki's face.

As Gintoki noticed his surroundings, he was completely enveloped by apparent ronin all pointing their blades at him.

"What faction are you from?" the one that had his sword pointed at Gintoki's face barked.

"Bro! He ain't in ours, means that he's gotta be in Kada's side!" another one snapped.

"I'm in nobody's faction. I'm a Yorozuya." Gintoki mumbled.

"Yorozuya?" Another one repeated.

"Boss, ye don't think that this guy here is the guy everyone been waiting for?"

"Take 'em back to leader. Let him decide." The Boss decided.

The next thing Gintoki knew, he was blindfolded and brought to a totally unknown place.

_Something isn't right here, _Gintoki thought._ Did Princess Kada come back?_

The blindfold came off.

Gintoki glanced around his surroundings like a newborn baby entering the world.

He was in a dark room, with a dim light coming from a small window on top of a ceiling. There were hordes of tough looking men glaring at him with disapproval and menacing stares. And to top it all off, his hands and feet were tied. He was at the total mercy of the perpetrators who kidnapped him.

"What's going on here?" a commanding voice echoed through the room. A dark figure appeared as all the men lined up to greet their leader.

"Leader!" they addressed him.

The dark figure had gray hair and an X scar on his brown-skinned cheek. It was none other than the great Yakuza Leader Doromizu Jirocho.

"Old man, I didn't expect to see you here." Gintoki smiled. He expected all of this to be cleared up thinking that he and Jirocho were on friendly terms.

Jirocho approached Gintoki. He smiled and crouched down onto Gintoki's level and unsheathed his sword and put the tip on Gin's neck.

"Kid, I never recall meeting someone like you before."

"Old man, you must be joking! We had a blast together taking on Kada and her Amanto friends!"

Jirocho pressed the blade harder on Gintoki's neck.

"Don't recall such a thing."

"You gotta be kidding me! Is this some kind of joke?" Gin started laughing.

"Kid, there's a war going on. Ain't no jokes for you or me to tell."

"War?" Gintoki repeated curiously.

"Yeah. In case you haven't heard, whole lotta shit going down these past couple of months. Speaking of which, the hell is an outsider like you doing in Kabukichou?"

"Me? I'm no outsider, I'm Sakata Gintoki. I freelance for my business with my two buddies."

Murmurs echoed through the room.

"Sakata Gintoki, huh?" Jirocho mumbled.

"Ain't nobody heard of him no more, rumor goes that he gon' and died in Yoshiwara."

"Hell no. I'm right here aren't I? Take me back to Otose's place: I got a freelancing business above her Snack Bar."

Gintoki was startled as he saw the fury in Jirocho's eyes.

"What do you know about Otose?" he barked.

"I live in the building above Otose's place." Gintoki shuddered. Jirocho was really scaring him now.

Jirocho sheathed his sword.

"Seems you really are the man they call Sakata Gintoki."

"Um, I've been saying that for quite a while. Anybody bother to tell me what's going on? I didn't let you guys take me here so I could be questioned."

"You really wanna know what is going on?"

Gintoki nodded his head. He sensed the seriousness in the air.

Murmurs from the onlookers started up again.

"Methinks it would be best if one of yer acquaintances go on and explain all this to you." Jirocho remarked.

"Acquaintances?" Gintoki muttered in confusion.

Gintoki noticed the hooligans all line up like ants as if to greet somebody.

It was Shimura Tae.

"Otae? What are you doing here?" Gintoki asked in confusion as she approached him. The situation was getting weirder by the minute.

Tae said nothing. She helped Gintoki up and undid the rope that held his hands.

Tae wasn't wearing her usual pink kimono. She didn't look like the Tae that Gintoki knew. She had a white kimono on with her brown hair hanging down.

"Otae?" Gintoki repeated again.

Tae didn't move. She stared at him. Her eyes locked on his.

"Otae?" Gintoki repeated again.

He was greeted with a powerful slap to his left cheek.

Gintoki took the slap, clearly confused by the ongoing situation.

He stared at Tae as her eyes began to well up in tears.

Then Tae embraced Gintoki. A warm hug in which Tae used nearly all her strength to express her emotion.

Gintoki was taken aback by the sudden shift of polar responses.

"Where on earth have you been?" Tae sobbed on his shoulder.

"I haven't been anywhere. I just went out for a little stroll."

"Little stroll? You've been gone forever since you and Shin-chan were in Yoshiwara."

"Yoshiwara? I frankly don't recall being there for quite the while."

"It doesn't matter now. What's happened has happened."

This has been the thing that has been piquing Gintoki's interest. Everyone has seemed so gloomy and distraught since he has returned from that weird motorbike incident.

"I am entirely lost, Otae. What on earth has happened? Why are you here with Jirocho? What war is going on?"

"A lot of things have happened since you left, Gin-san."

Gintoki raised an eyebrow as Tae pulled away from him. The ambiguity of the situation kept making him want to know more.

"Follow me." Tae gestured.

Jirocho's men lined up to form a perfect line.

Gintoki followed her. He had no real choice.

"Otae. What is this war that has been happening?"

Tae did not immediately answer him. She continued walking till she was outside in the streets of Kabukichou.

"You seemed to be informed about the war despite not being here." Tae brought up.

Gintoki did not respond. He was busy staring at the surroundings of the street that bore so many memories.

Except it wasn't how he remembered it at all.

Bodies. Bodies everywhere. Drenched in blood.

"What…." Gintoki muttered.

"This is the result of the war. This scene is a daily occurrence. Ever since you left there has been war."

"Who is doing this?" Gintoki became mad now. He clenched his bokuto.

"Shinra. The evil Princess Kada's minions led by a traitor from our camp."

Gintoki did not speak. He watched young children tending to the wounds of the injured samurai.

"Look out!" a voice boomed through the streets.

Gintoki saw the horrid glances of weary men as they gathered blades to prepare for battle.

They were coming from behind him.

Gintoki turned around.

He saw a pleasant sight. Humanoid figures draped in white cloaks led by one in dark red. The leader presumably, leading the charge.

Ten. Twenty. Thirty. Fifty. Heck, Gintoki lost count. All he knew what that he was going to kick their asses.

The leader of the Shinra pulled out a dagger from under his red cloak. He was aiming to kill Gintoki.

Gintoki did not flinch. He stood straight with his back to the watching soldiers, who themselves are completely unprepared.

Gintoki unsheathed his bokuto with his right hand and pointed it at the ground.

The Head Shinra clenched his own dagger. This man was challenging him.

Then the Head went for the kill.

Gintoki did not move. He calculated the Shinra aim for a stab in his left chest region. An instant death for almost everyone.

Boom.

The streets of Kabukichou have been dyed with red flowers.

The Head Shinra was stopped in his tracks, a split second before his dagger would've killed the silver haired samurai.

Instead he found himself caught with one foot on the ground and in an awkward position with his dagger pointing at Gintoki.

He has been impaled by Gintoki's bokuto.

In a flash, the Head Shinra was impaled by the samurai's wooden sword. The sword had pierced through the back of the Shinra to the ground.

The Head Shinra spat out blood and his body became motionless.

Gintoki pulled the bokuto and kicked the lifeless Shinra towards his stunned comrades.

The forward-charging Shinra stopped completely. Their momentum utterly smashed by this fearsome samurai.

"Bro!" someone from Jirocho's camp screamed. "We'll back you up!" This man was going to be a difference maker they sensed.

Clamors of support raged through the wounded men.

The clank of swords as men grabbed their arms.

"Drop them." Gintoki declared.

"What?" confusion buzzed in the atmosphere.

"Gin-san. Are you sure? There are many Shinra you're going to face." Tae asked in worry. She knew it would make no difference. It just felt right for her to say it.

Gintoki smirked. No one could see it, except for the Shinra.

Gintoki raised his left hand to acknowledge Tae's remark.

"This town has gone to hell. Looks like it needs something to put it back into its rightful place."

Gintoki again clenched his sword and slowly walked towards the Shinra. His lazy fish eyes lit up like a bonfire as he stared at his prey.

"How about the fury of the Shiroyasha?"

And he struck.

**Princess Kada's Castle**

"Princess Kada!" a Shinra burst into the room.

Princess Kada was eating and snacking on her meal. It was crisp juicy pork cooked until the skin was soft. Directly across was another person wearing a white mask.

"What is it?" Princess Kada spat at the lowly Shinra. Her red eyes as bright as ever with her long blue hair.

"Can you not see that I am in the middle of eating with my advisor?"

The lowly Shinra bowed in apology.

"I do apologize my Princess but the matter is urgent."

"Urgent?" Princess Kada muttered.

"Yes. It regards the war front. Our advance has been stopped completely."

Princess Kada was taken by surprise.

"Stopped completely? How in hell can that happen? Didn't Shumei lead the charge?"

The lowly Shinra bowed till the forehead of his head rasped against the ground. Telling Princess Kada about bad news was never a good sight.

"He did madam."

"He was the best Shinra Squadron leader aside from my advisor here. He was agile, strong, fast and quick-witted and a young talent."

"No doubt madam."

"Then what happened?"

"It would be best if someone from the assault was to tell you." The lowly Shinra bowed. He got up and waved his hand, signaling to bring in the survivor.

Two other Shinra soldiers came and assisted a third. The third was beaten and bleeding heavily.

"Madam." He spoke. His voice raspy.

"Explain everything."

"Madam. Our assault was perfect. The enemy was caught off guard. There was just a slight hindrance."

"What? Stop pausing and spit out the rest!"

"It was a silver headed samurai."

Princess Kada's advisor twitched upon hearing that.

"Silver headed samurai? There are more of those monkeys in this planet?"

"Indeed madam. He took out Shumei and everyone in our squad in a matter of minutes."

Princess Kada did not speak. She was infuriated and pulled out her fan. She let out a chuckle. Then she took one of her knives from her fan and threw it at the injured Shinra.

He died instantly.

The two Shinra that assisted quickly dragged his body out.

"What do you think?" Princess Kada remarked at her advisor. Her tone rather angry. The advisor has not spoken throughout the exchange.

The advisor did not speak but did bow towards Kada.

"I want the head of that samurai…No… better yet… I want his body to be crucified and placed for view in Kabukichou. That will surely decimate any leftover hope that that pathetic town has had."

Her advisor said nothing, stood up, bowed again and left the dining room, leaving Princess Kada.

Kada said nothing. She was calculating.

"Men!" she yelled.

The lowly Shinra appeared and bowed his head.

"Yes, madam?"

"Call in the **other **assassin."

"But, Madam, your advisor is on the job…"

A dagger in front of the Shinra's bowing body.

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

The lowly Shinra whimpered, bowed again, and left. Not saying a word.

**Kabukichou **

"Cheers!"

Outcries of joy.

Kabukichou was alive that night. Hoorays and melodious singing echoed around the streets.

All because the Shiroyasha has arrived.

Gintoki sat alone.

The vibrant air of hope did not reach Gintoki. He still did not know what was happening.

Tae was tending to the injuries of many of the wounded. Yet, here was Gintoki drinking alone in the bar that was once Otose's. He had seen no one he knew.

Staring at his alcoholic beverage, Gintoki sighed.

"Gin-san."

A familiar voice echoed in his ears.

Gintoki glanced up to see the eyes of Tae.

"What are you doing drinking alone?"

"I don't know what has happened. I went up to my home upstairs. It was not the dirty, unclean home that I lived in. It is now an area that is apparently the Headquarters of Kabukichou. I haven't seen anyone I know except for you and Jirocho…" Gintoki's voice trailed off.

"Gin-san…"

"Tell me. What exactly has been going on?!" Gintoki grabbed Tae's hand.

Tae was taken aback by his sudden change in attitude.

Gintoki also caught it too.

"Sorry. I don't know why but I feel that some bad things have happened and more are following suit."

"I will tell you everything you want to know."

Gintoki looked up. His eyes and Tae's met.

"But I feel that someone else would be more fit in telling you." Tae broke off.

"Gin-sannnn!"

The voice pierced Gintoki's ears.

It was Shinpachi. The same old Shinpachi that Gintoki knew wearing his Otsu Fan Club clothing except the bandana that he wore had the kanji for Kill instead of Otsu's name.

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew you weren't dead!" Shinpachi screamed in delight.

Gintoki slowly pushed Shinpachi away from him.

"Can you tell me what's been happening? This war?"

Shinpachi's facial expressions soon became cold.

Gintoki recognized this change in behavior. It is the change of the face of someone who has witnessed many deaths.

It is the face that has endured war.

"It began in Yoshiwara." Shinpachi started.

"We were in Yoshiwara. Kagura and I were snooping around for information per your request. You and Tsukuyo went off on your own to investigate the source of the drug cartels. Then…" Shinpachi couldn't finish the sentence. It was difficult for him.

"Then what?" Gintoki wanted to know. The events seem similar but something was not right.

"Yoshiwara went into flames."

"What? How?" Gintoki was stunned.

"There were many casualties. Including you, or so we thought." Shinpachi spoke.

"Me? How could've I possibly died?" Gintoki chuckled. This was getting more and more outrageous.

"You were killed by a man named Jiraia, Tsukuyo's master. This was at the base of the center of the drug cartels. All of this is what I have been told. You were never heard from since that incident."

"I do recall such a scene. But I was saved by Zenzou."

Shinpachi shook his head.

"I never made it to Yoshiwara." A voice joined the conversation.

It was Zenzou.

"Zenzou-san." Shinpachi addressed him.

"How were patrols, Shinpachi?" Zenzou asked.

"Patrols?" Gintoki wondered.

"Oh yeah! Gin-san! I'm the head of patrols now!" Shinpachi said with excitement.

"I head all the patrols here in Kabukichou to keep a look out for any Shinra sneaking around."

Gintoki ignored him. Something Zenzou said piqued Gintoki's interest.

"What do you mean you never made it to Yoshiwara?"

Zenzou stared at Gintoki.

"The week that I was supposed to go to Yoshiwara, some joker decided it was funny to sneak up behind me and shove a fucking mop up my ass. Gave me and my hemorrhoids a whole new level of pain."

Reality hit Gintoki like a punch in the face.

"Are you sure…" Gintoki stammered.

"Positively. I was in the hospital for a week treating that ailment. Physical pain was about a week: emotional and psychological over a month."

Gintoki struck a chord in his mind. It was something that Gengai sent to his bike.

_I don't know what you did to cause this chaos…_

"Shinpachi. Is Gengai still around?"

"Yeah. Why, do you need to talk to him?"

"It's rather urgent…"

**Gengai's Mechanic Shop**

Gintoki finished explaining the predicament that he was in to Gengai in a hurry.

"I'm lucky that Otae had to go tend to other people and Shinpachi had to go on patrols. I didn't want them to hear what I said."

Gengai scratched his beard.

"I too do not recall fixing your bike and making any kind of modifications of that sort. However, I have been thinking of something these past couple of years that I haven't told anybody."

Gintoki did not understand.

"What were you trying to do?"

"Kid. You are right. You are very lucky that your friends aren't here: What I'm about to tell you would be very hard to believe."

Gintoki said nothing.

"I was thinking of making a time travel machine."

Gintoki recoiled. Pure shock.

"I think that you have been traveling through time and you somehow accidentally conjured up something and messed with the flow of time. The world, rather universe, you see now is the result of a ripple effect of something you did."

"What does that mean…" Gintoki muttered.

"It means that in this universe: You are dead."

_**Author's Note: Please do not hesitate to leave reviews in the form of questions if you are confused about something. I'll address them in the next chapter in the beginning in the Author's Notes. Even if you don't have questions and is totally coolio with what's happening, please leave a review, favorite, follow (or all three). It at least lets me know that someone appreciates my work and is looking forward to it. **_

**_Also, I'd like to thank Niente_de_Nada from this very for taking her time to proofread my fic for its grammatical errors and farispie of YorozuyaSoul for giving me inspirational quotes. _**


	2. Chapter 2

"Dead? How could that possibly be? I'm right here aren't I?"

"I just explained it earlier didn't I? You are no longer of existence in this universe. You are merely just a presence of this universe from the one you are from."

"So everything that has happened in this universe was the result of something I did?"

"That's correct."

"I remembered committing a violent act against Zenzou during that weird transition period with your time machine that he remembered in this universe…"

"What did you do, Ginnoji, exactly?"

"It happened after the little 'accident' I had. I was in an alleyway and saw Zenzou. You see, Zenzou and a few of my friends pulled a dirty prank on me before. So I took the chance to take revenge on Zenzou by causing his hemorrhoids to act up while he was heading to Yoshiwara."

"What did he do he have to do with you in Yoshiwara?"

Gintoki thought for a moment. Then he realized the truth.

"He saved my life."

Gengai paused. Then he spoke.

"You must've altered the sequence of events with your actions. This whole universe is completely different as a result."

"How can that be? There is only one universe, right? How can there be multiple universes?"

"That's what I must've tried to figure out in the universe you originated from. You see, the thing is, I theorized that there are an infinite amount of universes." Gengai explained.

"You seeing me is proof that I hypothesized correctly."

"How can there be infinite universes?"

"Ginnoji. Every decision we make creates a new universe. Also, every decision we don't make also creates a new universe. You should be familiar with the concept that with every force there must be an equal and opposite force. This applies to not just force itself, but decisions as well.

"For example, from what I have heard, you could've decided to not screw around with your friend by presenting hell on his anus and went on with your life. That too, would've branched itself into another universe."

Gintoki shivered. The harsh reality hit him pretty hard.

"So everything I do will create a new universe? But how did I get here? To another universe?"

"Yes. Everything everyone does will create a new universe. But to be honest Ginnoji, I honestly do not know how you got to this universe. That is something I must've figured out in your universe."

"What can I do now?"

"Look at this town, Ginnoji. The people are struggling to survive. Everyone is fighting a war, every day. Food is being rationed right now and the whole town would've collapsed due to hunger had we not had some outside help."

"What are you going to do?"

Gintoki's eyes burned red as he gave his answer.

"I'm gonna end this war."

**Old Yorozuya Gin-chan**

Gintoki surveyed his home. Well, what was left of his home.

The once dirty, plain living room where he spends his afternoons picking his nose and reading JUMP is now the center of operations in Kabukichou.

Everything was cleared out.

The centerpiece is no longer sofas for guests to relay their problems but a round table for strategists to plan out the next set of patrols, which stations of the town needed assistance, the attack pattern of the enemies and daily reports on the battlefield.

Now, Gintoki has joined the discussion table.

Gintoki occupied a small corner on the roundtable; everyone else was discussing the usual topics of the day when Jirocho established order.

"Alright, pipe down y'all."

Everyone became quiet.

"Shinpachi, how were patrols?" Jirocho asked.

"Everything has gone well; however, a raid from one of today's combat zones was completely undetected. Kada's men got deep into our territory but were stopped abruptly and sent on a full retreat."

Murmurs of surprise echoed the room.

"Full retreat? But how?" someone asked.

Shinpachi grinned.

"That man right there." He pointed at Gintoki.

The men around Gintoki quickly shifted away from him, allowing more people to see the silver samurai.

Gintoki now occupied a significantly larger part of the table.

Jirocho however, didn't seem quite surprised.

"How many men did Kid over here take out, Shinpachi?"

"A whole squadron, sir."

The whispers in the background got louder.

"I knew there was somethin' special bout you."

Gintoki did not answer to these statements made about him.

"That is exactly why I didn't kill you in our first altercation."

Several chuckles from his men.

"You seem to have this charisma, Kid, that makes me want to believe in you."

Gintoki raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That, Kid, and the fact that you used to be the talk of the town."

"Talk of the town?" Gintoki muttered.

"Quite. Shinpachi here talked very highly of you even when many believed you to have died."

Gintoki glanced at Shinpachi. Gintoki couldn't help but notice Shinpachi's smile as Jirocho praised Gintoki for his valiant efforts. It was the smile of a little brother who was proud of their older brother's achievements.

"Anyways, Kid, you up for a round of patrols with your buddy Shinpachi? You could meet some old faces."

Shinpachi made a big smile when he heard this recommendation.

"Gin-san! Let's do it!"

**Kabukichou Streets**

Shinpachi and Gintoki roamed the streets. They were followed by a pack of other samurai.

The two walked side by side the whole way, never speaking a word to each other.

Gintoki saw much of what Kabukichou had become. The town is littered with soldiers.

Children old enough to barely attend school were tending to the wounded.

Gintoki still did not speak.

Suddenly, a young boy walked onto the road in front of where Gintoki was.

Gintoki did not see the young boy and while in the middle of his stride, knocked down the boy and the shiny container he was holding.

The container spilt a grayish sandy substance all over the ground.

The boy's eyes widened as he saw the grayish substance spill all over the ground.

"Daddy!" the boy screamed. He quickly went to scoop the grayish sand back into the container.

An older looking woman walked to the boy and helped him to scoop the remains back.

She then got up and held the young boy's hand and with him faced Gintoki.

She bowed before him.

"I apologize, Samurai-san. Please forgive my son…"

Gintoki was about to hold off the apology, stating that it was no big deal and that it was his fault in the beginning, but the boy prevented him from doing so.

"Mommy! Why are you apologizing to him? He knocked over Daddy!" He threw a fuss.

"Son!" the mother yelled as she dragged the boy's small arms and quickly led him away.

Gintoki was speechless; he did not know how to react.

"Shinpachi." Gintoki finally broke the ice.

"What did the boy mean when he said that I knocked over his Daddy?"

"His father's ashes," came the quick response.

"Ashes?" Gintoki muttered. "But why?"

"When the death toll of the war picked up, when the bodies began to stack up, when we literally had no more place to bury the fallen heroes, we had to burn them. We had to burn the bodies to stop the spread of disease from the corpses. We had to burn them because it would be a shame to leave them on the streets and let them rot. And we had to go to homes and give mothers and fathers their sons, wives their husbands, sons and daughters their father, ashes of the remains. But all for what? We give them a little container, shiny, whatever we can find at that moment, and put their loved one's ashes in it. We tell them with a straight face that this father, husband, brother, friend, son, or whatever just died and contributed to a noble cause. It's all a lie. We're not going to win this war…"

"Shinpachi…" Gintoki spoke.

Shinpachi did not respond. He walked ahead of Gintoki, letting Gintoki see his shoulders.

"Let's continue the patrols."

**Border of Kabukichou **

The patrol had reached its checkpoint.

Shinpachi stopped the patrol.

There were another group of people standing on the lonely road that they walked.

It was Tae. She was surrounded by armed samurai, almost like a princess protected by her bodyguards.

Gintoki noticed that Tae was dressed up. She wore a specially decorated kanzashi to tie her hair,

He noticed that there was this part of the town had much gravel on the ground, completely barren. A crater on the wall of one of the buildings led to the outskirts of town. This was a place of previous struggle.

Gintoki noticed the face of Tae getting redder as she spotted someone approach from the crater.

She was blushing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, ma'am." A voice cracked from the crater.

Out popped a figure, hazelnut hair, baby white face, sadistic smile wearing a black Shinsengumi uniform.

Okita Sougo.

Sougo walked up to Tae and gave a gesture, acknowledging Tae.

"The guy you're waiting for is just behind me."

Another figure came.

He had black hair and had a lit cigarette in his mouth. His eyes cold, he wore a serious face, like the dark uniform that represented the group of men he worked for.

Toshiro Hijikata.

Hijikata walked up to Tae like Sougo did. Their eyes were locked as they stared. Hijikata noticed the redness in Tae's face.

He smiled then bowed his head.

"Ma'am. Kondo-san is helping the others unload the supplies."

Gintoki watched in amazement as Shinpachi and his patrol group went over to assist the Shinsengumi unload supplies.

"Let's go everyone! The people of Kabukichou need our help!" a voice boomed through the streets.

Kondo appeared.

Gintoki remembered something Gengai said.

_The whole town would've collapsed due to hunger had we not had some outside help._

The outside help must be the Shinsengumi.

Gintoki noticed that Tae did not speak. She simply covered her mouth with the sleeves of her kimono. She was hiding the blushing face she was making in front of Kondo.

Gintoki said nothing. He was trying to contain his laughter.

He watched as Shinpachi and the other patrolmen helped the Shinsengumi unload supplies onto carts and wheel them off.

Tae spoke first.

"Thank you so much for your help." She said.

"No problem. As the Commander of the Shinsengumi, I must do what I must to protect all of Edo! That includes Kabukichou!"

Tae let out a smile and covered her face with the sleeve of her kimono again.

"You two are hilarious!" Gintoki busted out laughing as he walked towards the couple.

"I didn't know gorillas were capable of love to such an extent." Gintoki continued to joke.

A right hook hit Gintoki's jaw.

"Idiot! What are you talking about?!" Tae yelled in fury. Her face was flustered red.

The hook set Gintoki flailing backwards onto his back.

"Still in denial, huh?" Gintoki muttered to himself.

The clang of a metal sword echoed in Gintoki's ear.

Gintoki regained his focus as he saw the tip of blade tickling his nose.

Then he looked up and saw the eyes of the Demon Vice-Commander.

"What do you think you're doing, coming here now all of a sudden?"

"I'm helping out on patrols."

"Whole lotta stuff happened went down while you disappeared. And you should commit seppuku for it."

"Not now, Hijikata," it was Sougo who spoke.

"We must leave soon, avoid the suspicion."

"Yes, Hijikata. We must make haste and leave." Kondo spoke now. Then he turned to Tae and looked into her brown eyes.

"I'll be back soon."

Then they left.

Gintoki still laid on the ground.

Tae quickly gathered herself.

"Shinpachi. Continue with your patrols and go back the same route. I'll make sure that these supplies are taken care of."

Shinpachi nodded and turned back and started walking.

"Let's go, Gin-san."

Walking down the same road, Gintoki wanted to lighten the mood more by opening up to Shinpachi.

"Lot of things happen when I was gone?"

Shinpachi nodded.

"So where's Kagura? I haven't seen her around…"

Shinpachi stopped walking.

"She's not on this planet anymore."

"What do you mean…." Gintoki stuttered.

"She left this planet. Her father appeared one day, saw the commotion of this town, and decided to take her away. Kagura was too distraught over your death that she didn't do much to resist."

Gintoki sighed. He was mixed about this.

He was happy to know that Kagura is in safe hands, knowing Umibozu would take care of her, and also, he felt sad that the Yorozuya had become broken up like this.

He smiled at the thought of Kagura going around beating the asses of Shinra on the battlefield.

"Shinpachi. How did this war start?" Gintoki was curious to know.

Shinpachi started walking again. His head hung low.

"You really make a difference in this world, you know? There were tensions between the factions here at Kabukichou that many people just ignored. And when you disappeared, the four factions really just became three. Otose, though apart of the Four Devas, didn't hold real power with you gone. They made a pact, all four of them, to eradicate the faction that was to start any quarrel. Now, amongst all these people, someone else was lurking in the shadows, someone that worked for Kada."

"Let me guess. Is it Chin Pirako, the daughter of Jirocho?"

Shinpachi was shocked.

"How did you know?"

"I wish I could tell you…"

Shinpachi paused for a moment. He ended up realizing that

"So yeah. She ended up throwing Saigou's faction and Jirocho's faction against each other by pitting Agomi, the Ass-Chin man, against Katsuo, the 7 to 3 maestro. Chin Pirako turned out to be double crossed by Kada and now two bloodied and bruised factions have to deal with Kada."

"What are the casualties, so far, in the war?"

"A lot of people. Saigou got cut by Jirocho but survived to fight, he's injured pretty bad and won't be walking for a long time. And all of Saigou's men had given up their past and changed back to fit back in with the soldiers."

"What about Otose?" Gintoki was worried. In his universe, Otose was cut down by Jirocho.

"She is in a secure location in this town, guarded by Tama, Catherine and Chin Pirako."

Gintoki wanted to ask more questions but something stopped him.

He heard screams.

"Men! Check it out!" Shinpachi ordered.

The patrolmen reacted quickly and headed towards the source of the screams.

Gintoki followed suit.

It was the group of people they passed by earlier.

They were being attacked.

Shinra swarmed the helpless people like bees.

Shinpachi let out his battle cry. The group of 10 something patrolmen attacked the assaulting Shinra.

Immediately, the sound of metal pierced the air.

Then there was the young boy. Moving around the struggling combatants, he dropped the container that held his father's ashes. The boy dropped to his knees and began scooping the ashes back into the container.

"No!" his mother went over to his side, trying to drag him to safety.

The boy did not want to leave his father.

Then a Shinra appeared.

No clothe covering his face, he let out a smile as he pulled his dagger as he towered over the mother and her son.

The mother held her son close, hoping to protect him from the assailant.

She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

She waited. For a second, nothing.

She opened her eyes and looked up, her arms still holding the boy, who watched the Shinra with his googly eyes.

The Shinra was in motion to end her. His arm was cocked back to unleash the blow. That was the way it was.

But he couldn't move it, something was weighing it down like an anchor.

He peaked back to see what was holding him back.

He saw the Red Eyes of the Shiroyasha.

Gintoki was grabbing the Shinra by the bicep with his hand and fully restraining him from moving.

Then Gintoki unleashed hell on him.

Gintoki used his free hand and grabbed the head of the Shinra and face planted him onto the ground. A broken neck. Instant death.

Gintoki walked up to the surprised mother and crouched down to meet them at eye level.

The sounds of a battle continued to rage on.

"Take him and run as fast as you can to safety."

Then he looked at the young boy. He ruffled his brown hair and gave him a smile.

"I'll avenge the death of your father, okay?"

The mother thanked him and took off with her son.

Gintoki stood back up. He turned around and stared at the scene. Shinpachi and his men have done an excellent job suppressing the Shinra from continuing to hurt other civilians.

Gintoki watched as Shinpachi completely overpower two Shinra with a menacing blow with his sword, one at the neck and another at the belly.

Shinpachi then saw Gintoki.

"Gin-san!" he yelled. Shinpachi then pulled out another sword, still in its sheath and threw it over to Gintoki.

Gintoki caught the sword. It was fine indeed. He unsheathed it. Shiny. Light, and sharp.

"It was made by Tetsuko!" Shinpachi announced. "Perfect for you!"

He remembered now.

Now he was going to make the Shinra pay for killing innocent people.

Gintoki opted to use this new sword instead of his wooden bokuto. He had the intention to kill, sparked by the feel of the war.

He let out a yell and charged.

More Shinra continued to appear.

Three appeared in front of Gintoki in the middle of his sprint.

One mighty swing. Three down.

Another Shinra appeared on Gintoki's left, another on the right, trying to sandwich him.

Gintoki stopped on a dime and ducked his head.

The two Shinra cut each other and fell.

Five down.

Gintoki looked up on the old buildings of Kabukichou. Shinra continued to pour into the town. He saw a figure standing on top of the buildings, watching the fight, calculating. It was a female, Gintoki noted, given the hot body she had. And she was wearing a demonic mask. She wore nothing but dark clothing. All black.

He then noticed that Shinpachi and his patrolmen were not letting up but the sheer amount of enemies would soon overpower them.

Gintoki had to stop. He instead focused his attention on taking out the Shinra that were giving his comrades problems.

Ten down.

Fifteen down.

He soon lost count.

The Shinra continued to regroup despite their injuries.

Shinpachi and his men soon were in line with Gintoki, grasping their swords while breathing heavily. They were the only ones that would have to prevent the Shinra from attacking the heart of Kabukichou.

"Shinpachi! Take your men and retreat, they can't hold out much longer!" Gintoki ordered.

Shinpachi seemed reluctant.

"But Gin-san!"

"Go!" Gintoki barked.

Shinpachi nodded. He helped aid one of the injured and began help him escape.

Shinpachi stopped suddenly. He turned around and saw the marvelous back of Gintoki.

"Gin-san?"

He did not turn around. He eyed his opponents.

"Please don't disappear again, okay?"

Gintoki did not answer. He raised his left hand to acknowledge the comment.

And Shinpachi and his men limped away.

The Demonic Advisor jumped down. She then walked slowly to the front of her Shinra.

"You got a pretty nice body. You wanna go under the sheets with me instead?" Gintoki made small talk.

No response.

"Shame." Gintoki smiled.

He got his blade and prepared to battle.

He attacked first.

A straight frontal assault at the Demonic Advisor.

She avoided his attack with ease, sidestepping to Gintoki's right and using a dagger of hers and slashed down.

Gintoki's sword had been shattered. The weapon had been separated to two.

Gintoki, holding the handle with a noticeable smaller tip, recoiled back quickly. Her speed had caught him off guard.

The Advisor then quickly threw two kunai at him.

Gintoki jumped back to avoid the two kunai.

The first one fell short and landed in front of him.

The second him came close to hitting him. Gintoki had to avoid the kunai by raising his hand over his head to avoid the kunai from hitting his left armpit.

Gintoki landed on his two feet. That was close. The kunai landed behind him.

Then an explosion from behind.

The sudden explosion propelled Gintoki to be lurched forward.

The Advisor had planned all this. She jumped towards him as soon as the explosion occurred.

Gintoki was totally unprepared for all this.

She landed a punch right into his face.

Gintoki hit the ground hard. He barrel rolled away from the Advisor.

He re-gathered himself and managed to stand on one leg, trying to catch his breath.

The Advisor was relentless. She threw another pair of kunai at him.

Gintoki jumped back to avoid the two kunai.

They both landed well short of him.

Then they exploded.

_Exploding kunai?_ Gintoki thought to himself.

Gintoki dropped the shattered sword and pulled out his bokuto.

He had to get in gear soon.

The Advisor made her move immediately; she did not stop; she did not hesitate.

Another kunai throw. She aimed it to the left of Gintoki, well off, according to her plan.

Gintoki did not react to the obviously missed throw. But naturally he skipped to the side when the explosion occurred.

This is what the Advisor wanted.

Gintoki, now against the wall of an old building, quickly dodged a stab attempt by the Advisor's right hand by moving his head to the left.

He saw his chance to capitalize on the miss by the Advisor.

As the blade hit the wall in her missed attempt, Gintoki used his left hand and landed a square punch on the Advisor.

The punch cracked the right side of the mask she wore.

But the Advisor did not seem to notice.

She quickly responded to the punch.

She threw another kunai at Gintoki.

Gintoki deflected the kunai with the blade, hoping to force it elsewhere.

It was a strong throw. The kunai hit the blade and got stuck, detonating in Gintoki's hand.

His bokuto flew out of his hand, the smoke from the explosion blinding him.

Gintoki was then knocked down. The smoke cleared as Gintoki regained his vision.

He saw the Advisor on top of him.

She was about to give the final blow.

Gintoki had to react. He couldn't. She had him pinned down with her left arm on Gintoki's throat, not allowing him to move.

Gintoki moved his hands around, hoping to find something.

His right hand grabbed something. It was the blade that the Advisor shattered into two!

Gintoki, in desperation, threw the blade at the face of the Advisor. She did not flinch as the blade made contact with the right part of the mask. She cocked her right hand backwards like a slingshot, a kunai between her fingertips; she was about to unleash the final blow.

But something happened.

The blade scratched the mask more. The punch that Gintoki landed created a slanted scar over the right side of the mask.

The blade created a horizontal scratch on the right side.

The two cracks eventually collided.

That part of the mask fell off.

It revealed some of the right cheek and the blonde hair and dark purple eyes.

Gintoki's eyes and the Advisor's eyes locked.

Gintoki's eyes widened as he mouthed the name.

"Tsukuyo."

_**Author's Note: That's it for Chapter 2! Thanks everyone for the reviews so far! **_


	3. Chapter 3

Yoshiwara was in flames.

Tangled in an intricately woven web, Tsukuyo was unable to move from the trap that held her. The darkness made her vision fuzzy as she tried to absorb her surroundings. The muscles in her arms were sore, possibly from the pressure put on her shoulders from being suspended from the ground like she was about to be crucified.

Tsukuyo moved her left arm. No use. It was stuck onto the web.

"Are you awake?" a familiar voice popped up from the darkness.

"How do you feel?" footsteps approached Tsukuyo from the darkness.

An all too familiar figure appeared, Jiraia, Tsukuyo's master.

Tsukuyo clenched her teeth. She muttered a term of kinship and bond.

"Master…"

Tsukuyo corrected herself, instantly, shedding the label that she used to define a man she trusted for so long.

"Nah, Jiraia."

"You no longer wish to call me master?" Jiraia pondered.

Jiraia chuckled at the thought.

"That's fine. You only need solitude and an enemy."

"So I'd been struggling in your web all these years? I believed in you. I wanted to follow in your footsteps…But was it all a lie?" Tsukuyo spat.

"What was it that you believed in? The kind master that gave his life to protect you? Or the harsh master that taught you the meaning of selfless devotion to give up your identity, to give up becoming a woman? In that case, it wasn't a lie. Even now, am I not sacrificing myself for the sake of creating you?"

The words rang in her head. This was not what she wanted.

"Creating me?"

Tsukuyo began to recall the events that were penultimate to this scenario. She remembered the bloody body of Gintoki falling from its grace into the water. She hung her low and looked on the ground. The reality of Gintoki dying gushed into her thoughts.

"You killed him for that reason?"

More vivid memory of blood spewing from Gintoki into the air came up to her mind. Her voice was now soft, weak, and fragile, her spirit had been broken.

Jiraia became tense.

"If you hadn't grown weak, I would have left Yoshiwara alone. If you hadn't learned to rely on others, I wouldn't have killed that man either. You are the one who killed him, Tsukuyo."

Jiraia's words have broken Tsukuyo down. The emotional barrier that sealed Tsukuyo's feelings had been shattered into broken pieces of glass. But Jiraia wasn't finished crushing Tsukuyo.

"And the tragedy that will soon play out will all be your fault." Jiraia turned away from Tsukuyo and walked away towards a door.

"What are you going to do?!" Tsukuyo screamed in worry.

"No! Jiraia!"

Jiraia did not pay any attention to what she said.

"Abandon your sense of self to protect Yoshiwara and Hinowa. That was the oath you swore on that scar." Jiraia opened a door as he spoke. Light poured into the room, temporarily blinding Tsukuyo.

"But Yoshiwara has become much more than a place for you to protect. It has become a place where you can rely on others."

"None of any of that is necessary." Jiraia continued on.

"I shall burn all the cobwebs and roots in your heart." Jiraia spoke with a smile.

Tsukuyo struggled. She wanted to break free from this nightmare.

"No! Jiraia!" she screamed.

Jiraia gave her one final glance and turned to face the city of Yoshiwara.

The light that blinded Tsukuyo soon began to register to Tsukuyo. Jiraia had shown her an all too familiar place. Her sanctuary, her home.

Yoshiwara.

"Yoshiwara?!" Tsukuyo blurted.

"Yes. We're in Yoshiwara right now. This is the stage I've prepared for you to watch everything unfold. I shall reignite the flames from four years ago. This time, the flames won't be an illusion. This time, I'll burn everyone you depend on to ashes. Return everything to zero! When the moon once again rises into the heavens, I shall be the one to devour it." There were webs that connected from where Jiraia was to the city of Yoshiwara at various points.

Jiraia held out his left hand. Within an instant, a spark of a flame engulfed his hand. Jiraia did not seem affected by it. Ignoring the screams from Tsukuyo, he put the flame onto one of the strings of web and watched as the flame began to consume the city.

"Look, Tsukuyo. Yoshiwara is burning. The place you protect, the place you belong to is turning to ash." Jiraia continued to light the stings of web on fire.

"A large quantity of explosives has been placed at the end of this thread. Once I light it, Yoshiwara will be burned to the ground…"

"Stop! Please stop this!" Tsukuyo yelled frantically.

"I love that look on your face," Jiraia turned around to look at Tsukuyo.

"Are you scared of being alone forever? Do you care so much about yourself?" Jiraia lit his hand into flames again.

"Beyond, you will find that abandoning your sense of self will lead to true beauty and power! This won't be the end! You will begin anew from the ashes." Jiraia went over to the last string. The string that will destroy Yoshiwara was lit.

"Jiraia!" Tsukuyo screamed in agony.

The fire kept on going. And then an explosion. It sounded like a bundle of fireworks going off, the cackling of the fire ran across the airwaves. Tsukuyo felt the heat from the fires against her cheeks. She realized the reality that is unfolding on her.

Yoshiwara is burning.

"No…" Tsukuyo dropped her head.

"It is impossible to escape from my threads. It is impossible to survive…"

"Jiraia…Please…I beg of you…stop this…" Tsukuyo spoke. Her voice was soft, shaken.

"All this…it's my fault. I'll leave. I'll leave Yoshiwara. I'll no longer rely on others…I'll no longer get involved with other people. I'll live alone. I'll live as you tell me to. If that doesn't satisfy you, you can take my life. So please, Jiraia, Master, stop all this."

Jiraia walked towards Tsukuyo. The smile he wore disappeared.

"I'm begging you…" Tsukuyo pleaded. "Don't hurt my precious friends anymore! I'll sacrifice myself for my friends!" Tsukuyo eyed her master as he approached her.

He stopped within an arm's distance from her. She could hear his breathing.

"Hell No!" Jiraia was outraged. He grabbed her by the neck with his left hand, choking her. Tsukuyo was helpless to do anything.

"That's not what I want from you!" Jiraia screamed in frustration.

He then proceeded to punch the helpless body in the face with his fists.

"Why can't you reach my strength?!" Jiraia yelled in confusion.

"Why can't you become me?" Jiraia continued to question. He ceased his pounding of Tsukuyo's face.

His voice then became smooth and calm.

"Tsukuyo, do you know why I spent so much time raising you?" Jiraia paused.

"So I could kill you with my own hands. I devote myself to my webbed prey the way a servant devotes himself to his master. And then I feast on my prey."

Tsukuyo was lost in her own mind. She did not look at her master. She just gazed off into her own reality.

"I want to kill myself." Jiraia announced.

Those words rattled Tsukuyo.

"In order to this, I needed to create an existence that could be me. The embodiment of carnage with a strong soul and strong body who could stand alone without relying on others. I placed all my hope on you.. But I was wrong, apparently. I wouldn't have expected you to fall so low. If I could've predicted this would've happened, I would have taken you while you were still beautiful."

"Such a pity…" Jiraia spat.

"The death of your beloved friends won't be enough," Jiraia snarled.

"How do I make you like me?" Jiraia pulled out one of his deadly kunai.

He pressed the tip at Tsukuyo's vertical scar.

"If I flay off all the skin on your face, you will be unrecognizable like me. No one will recognize you, not your friends, not anybody. You will become alone. Just like me. I'm sure you'll become strong."

Tsukuyo closed her eyes. She felt the tip of the blade circle around her face, destroying everything it touched.

She wanted to cry, but she couldn't.

She whimpered as she thought to herself.

_I need a hero, a hero to save me now. I'm sure he'll show up and save me, like he has all those times. I need a hero. A hero will save me. _

Her hero never came.

These memories flowed through Tsukuyo's mind all in an instant as she prepared to deal the final blow to the man she loved.

And here he is right before her, speaking her name, alive, breathing, and fighting.

She held her kunai firmly. This was routine, hours and hours of practice. Taking another life with ease, this is just another one of the hundreds that she's already put away. But she struggled with this kill. This one is different as her hand trembled as she lost her grip on the kunai, tears rolled down the exposed eye from her demonic mask.

"Gintoki!" Tsukuyo yelled his name. She dropped her kunai and gave him a warm embrace. Gintoki, adrenaline flowing, was too stunned to react. He was at one moment, near death, fighting an enemy that was significantly stronger than him to being embraced by a comrade, a friend.

"Where on earth have ya been all this time?" Tsukuyo sobbed. They were still hugging on the ground, their bodies locked together.

Gintoki wanted to answer. He really did. He wanted to tell her about the pain, the struggle, his situation, his fight. But he couldn't. This was his battle and his battle alone.

"Tsukuyo…" He felt the grip of her arms around the neck.

Then he felt a powerful gush of air from behind his head. The smooth arms that held his neck did not anymore. Gintoki leaned over with his right hand to push himself up. On one leg, he lifted his head to survey what the battlefield had become.

He saw Tsukuyo twenty feet in front of him. He saw that Tsukuyo was grabbing her mask, on top of the two scratches he did, and that there was a new scratch. This new damage to the mask was a horizontal scratch that spread across ear to ear on top of the nasal region. He noticed many wounded Shinra stand behind their leader, Tsukuyo.

"Hey, hey, Big Bro!" a familiar voice from behind him spoke.

Gintoki turned around. He saw a female figure, dark red eyes, vermillion hair, a straw hat in a blue kimono with two metal plates on both elbows, holding a sword in her hand, pointed directly at Tsukuyo.

"If you can't handle this witch, Big Bro, I'd gladly take care of her for you." She spoke.

Gintoki's jaw dropped. He recognized this person.

"Chin Pirako?!"

_**Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter. I felt that this was the best place to end it for now. Chapter 4 will be up soon! Thanks to everyone that has left a review, followed or favorited the story! **_


	4. Chapter 4

Gintoki stared in disbelief as he eyed the person before him. How did this vermillion-haired brat appear before him? When did she suddenly appear?

"How's it going, bro?" Chin Pirako perked up. She waved her sword like her hand at Gintoki.

"What are you doing here, Chin Pirako?" Gintoki snapped at her. He was startled by her sudden appearance.

"Oh, you know my name? So the rumors about you are true?" Chin Pirako responded in curiosity.

"Why wouldn't I know your name?..." Gintoki's voice trailed. The realization struck Gintoki like a baseball. His memories are obsolete here; they are what they in value, memories. Chin Pirako never joined the Yorozuya, never betrayed him to propel her father into superiority over Kabukichou, never even met him before. Everything that happened is just a leftover residue. Gintoki got up and tried to walk over to Tsukuyo, who was about 20 feet from him.

"Tsukuyo...why?" Gintoki inched closer to Tsukuyo.

A kunai stopped centimeters from cutting off Gintoki's toes. Gintoki stared at the kunai, a clear signal for him not to approach any closer, then it exploded. The explosion propelled him backwards, further away from Tsukuyo.

"Ah, so Kada has been giving you fancy Amanto toys to play with too, huh?" Chin Pirako gasped unconvincingly. She knew something that no one else did.

"Amanto? Is that why they exploded?" Gintoki asked as he rubbed his behind from the fall.

"Yup, quite the expensive toys, they can act as daggers and double for a gun. The kunai has gunpowder inside it and when the tip impacts with something, it acts as a trigger to light a fuse that causes all the gunpowder to explode. It's highly effective as the kunai can cause damage in three ways, the initial throw, the explosion, and the shrapnel from the fragments of the kunai can inflict further wounds," Chin Pirako explained.

Tsukuyo was not paying any attention to the conversation between Chin Pirako and Gintoki, only for the safety of herself and her injured comrades. She looked around, scanning her surroundings to find an opening to escape. The giant hole near the buildings from which they entered was the initial entry point for the Shinra is the most logical escape route. She knew that if she tried to force her way through, it would be difficult given the current amount of samurai surrounding her.

"Aside from you knowing me, despite me being in hiding most of the time, you seem to be quite close with the Demonic Assassin," Chin Pirako spoke.

"Demonic Assassin?" Gintoki repeated after her. He was not sure what she meant.

"Oh, you don't know about the Demonic Assassin, also known as the Leader of the Hundred Blooms, also known as the Death Courtesan, previously known as Tsukuyo? Pity, she was once an ally, then she went and betrayed all of Kabukichou!" Chin Pirako explained. She was raising her voice higher so that Tsukuyo would hear, hoping to provoke her. She was hoping to wage psychological warfare on Tsukuyo, in hopes of making her already unstable emotional condition into a state of a complete breakdown.

"What do you mean betrayed? What has happened?" Gintoki was confused. He wanted to know, he needed to.

"The once comrade of Kabukichou turned sour like a bad apple and joined forces with the evil forces that threaten the livelihood of Kabukichou," Chin Pirako explained.

How could this happen? Tsukuyo turning on everybody? Why would she ever do this? He knew well enough that he was the sole reason for her to act this way. But why would she betray Kabukichou? Gintoki wondered if she was the traitor that Otae was talking about before and if something happened between Tsukuyo and her master that led her to be this way. Gintoki had many too many questions, too little time to ask them.

"Why don't you take off that mask?" Chin Pirako mocked Tsukuyo. In her mind right now, Tsukuyo was trapped, no where to run, best mock her before finishing her off, have a little fun while she's at it.

Tsukuyo did not pay any attention to the brat that was challenging her, her mind focused solely on scheming an ingenious escape plan; she decided to escape the way she came. This was the best method, a fast strike, before any of them can react accordingly. She pulled out three kunai, held them within the cracks of her fingers, watched as the rest of the samurai clenched their blades, anticipating her to strike. This was where she had them fooled, she had no intentions of fighting them, though she was well within her own capabilities to do so, she went through an emotional roller coaster in the past few minutes and it make her head spin. The appearance of Gintoki, Yoshiwara in Flames, all these memories flooded into her mind, she thought that since she agreed to work for Princess Kada that she could block all the pain, the memories, but apparently not.

Tsukuyo had a firm resolve now, her goal absolute, to escape the battlefield. She clenched the three kunai and with all her might, threw them onto the ground. In an instant, a blinding smoke covered the vicinity.

Gintoki swatted his hand at the smoke and within a few minutes, the blinding fog dissipated. He stared in amazement as Tsukuyo and the accompanying Shinra completely disappeared. Her Amanto kunai even contained smoke bombs? Gintoki shook his head, facing her down the line would be an excruciating task.

"I can't behind we let her get away! We were so close!" Gintoki watched Chin Pirako scream in frustration. She stomped her foot on the ground like a spoiled child that doesn't get the toy that they want and stormed off back towards safety.

Gintoki then noticed an open palm in front of him, it was that of another samurai, to help him up. There was a group of samurai surrounding him, all of them had a smile on their face. Gintoki smiled in return, took the hand, and got up.

There was hope for Kabukichou, the Shiroyasha has arrived.

* * *

**Location Near the Previous Events**

The Other Assassin that Princess Kada had sent to follow up on Tsukuyo's Squadron's assault watched from the top of a rooftop.

The air was humid; years of stalking and training have prepared the Secondhand Assassin to camp for hours at end, even days if the mission required it. The Other Assassin pulled out a cellphone from her pocket, and began typing a message.

"The Legendary Assassin failed her kill, permission to follow up?"

She sent the message and waited for a brief moment, knowing the man on the other end replies fairly quickly. She was right, as the cellphone beeped.

"Negative. Report back to Princess Kada for instant debriefing."

The Other Assassin put the phone away. She watched as Gintoki walked back to Kabukichou, surrounded by the samurai who wore talking amongst themselves excitedly. They have won a critical battle today; twice Kada's advances have been blocked by this man. Maybe, just maybe, the war had a turning point.

The Other Assassin smiled seeing Gintoki. All this time, she wondered where he had run off too; he had disappeared from the Yorozuya entirely. She figured that he was teasing her the entire time, but now that he had returned home, she felt at ease.

Soon I'll be back by your side, stalking you, protecting you, just like old times, the Other Assassin smiled as she thought to herself.

* * *

**Shogunate Castle**

Sasaki Isaburo, captain of the Mimawarigumi, checked his cell phone, a continuous habit. He dismissed a few messages and paid heed to only one message, a reminder he set for himself, for an appointment with the Shogun.

Sasaki was in the heart of the Shogun's castle. He bowed before the feeble-minded Shogun as he made his report to him.

"Shogun-sama, I am here to report the issues of Kabukichou," Sasaki announced to the Shogun. They were in an isolated room, heavily guarded by numerous samurai.

The Shogun seemed quite surprised at the mention of Kabukichou, the town has brought many memories to him, albeit bad ones that he chose not to remember.

"What would the problems be?" the Shogun spoke.

"Shogun-sama, the town has resisted the authority of the Bakufu for many years and now is overrun by the Harusame pirates. Even though the town was originally run and filled with ordinary people, having them fighting their own war with Space Pirates might not be beneficial for you. That is why I request that you, Shogun-sama, authorize the Mimawarigumi, and have us elites take care of this predicament."

"What do you mean by 'take care'?," the Shogun asked curiously. The Shogun worried for the safety of the citizens he governed.

"I plan to elitely restore order back into the town and remove the threats to the Bakufu," Sasaki answered.

"I know of your intentions; I want to know the methods of which you will be utilizing to restore peace," the Shogun pestered on.

"Now, now, Shige-shige, don't make it hard on the Commander," a voice entered the room. He was a chubby old man, bushy eyebrows and resembled a calm, soothing figure.

"Uncle," the Shogun acknowledged him.

"Sada Sada-san," Sasaki bowed to the powerful old man.

"As to continue, you should let Uncle take care of this mess," Sada Sada told the Shogun.

"But Uncle, it is my duty as Shogun to protect the citizens for which I preside," the Shogun persisted.

"It is your duty, but let me handle this mess, for I am familiar with the areas of Kabukichou," Sada Sada insisted on his nephew. The Shogun caved and retired to another room, leaving only Sasaki and Sada Sada.

"Sir, the Harusame Pirates will be taken care of and order shall be restored back to Kabukichou, rest assured," Sasaki told Sada Sada.

Sada Sada gestured away all his couriers with a wave of his hand.

"There will be no need to eliminate the Harusame Pirates, Sasaki," Sada Sada told him.

"Sire, why is that? Do you not believe in the abilities of the Mimawarigumi? We are Elite and shall complete this task at hand elitely," Sasaki answered back.

"No, not that, I have full faith in the Mimawarigumi in completing their assignment. It's just, however, that the Harusame are not the enemies of the Bakufu."

"They are wanted Intergalactical Criminals, how are they not the enemies of the Bakufu?" Sasaki recoiled in surprise.

"I have forged an allegiance with several of their captains and they have promised to not bring harm to us, that I can assure you."

"So what is it that you want the Mimawarigumi to do?" Sasaki winced.

"Kill all the rebel samurai of Kabukichou."

"Kill the rebel samurai? Are they not citizens of Edo and be protected by the Bakufu? Even though they are ordinary, there must be a hierarchy where the ordinary are on the bottom and the elites are at the top, this balance must be protected."

"Those that do not bow to the Shogunate are bugs that must be squashed," Sada Sada answered him. His eyes lit up like a firework, determined to crush the citizens of Kabukichou that defied him.

Sasaki knew the order from Sada Sada, annihilate Kabukichou.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, Reader-chans. _**

**_Also, a private request has been made to me by an anonymous reader to recap the current status of all the characters that are currently a part of the fic because of the rather fast-paced nature of the plot. So here goes!_**

**_(From Kabukichou A, the One where the main character Gintoki is from) _**

_Gintoki- Not of the Universe and trying to stabilize the situation at Kabukichou _

**_(From Kabukichou B, where the current plot is taking place. Kabukichou is in a war with Kada and her forces) _**

_Kabukichou- The town itself has been sealed off by the order of the Bakafu to prevent any rebel samurai from causing havoc onto other towns. _

_Shinpachi- Head of the Patrol Squads at Kabukichou _

_Tae- Head for the Nurse Corps that aid the soldiers of Kabukichou _

_Gengai- Knows that Gintoki A is not from this Universe and is temporarily working on a way to bring him back. _

_Zenzou- An independent scout and patrol officer for Kabukichou _

_Shinsengumi- the Shinsengumi, rather, Sougo, Hijikata and Kondo, with the assistance of the Yagyuu Clan, are all secretly aiding the Kabukichou against the orders of the Bakufu_

_Kyubei-Working with the Shinsengumi to aid the Kabukichou forces_

_Jirocho- Leader for Kabukichou Forces _

_Chin Pirako- Personal Bodyguard for Otose. Recently returned to the battlefield _

**_(Kada's Forces) _**

_Princess Kada- Kada desires to own Kabukichou and turn it into a revenue generating town like Housen did to Yoshiwara. She has become good in terms with the Harusame Space Pirates because she has sealed a deal with the Sada-Sada to allow Harusame trafficking onto Edo. _

_Tsukuyo- Kada's most trusted Assassin. Why did she turn over to the dark side? That shall be explained much, much later. _

_Sacchan- Another one of Kada's Assassin. This will also be explained later. _

**_(Shogun's Faction) _**

_Shogun- the Shogun is currently unknowing of the situation in Kabukichou. _

_Sada-Sada- Does backdoor deal with Kada to eradicate Kabukichou in exchange for royalties made by the Harusame Space Pirates _

**_(Mimawarigumi) _**

_Sasaki- Given the order to eradicate all of Kabukichou's inhabitants. Will he carry through with it? _

**Anyways, yo, the Fic continues! **

* * *

**Kada's Castle**

Kada was scheming, looking at the notes presented to her. A failed assassination attempt by her most trusted assistant? The resolve of both her assassins unwilling and unable to finish the mission? This rogue samurai? Who is he?

"Show me this samurai from the data Ayame collected," Kada ordered.

A screen beamed the images of Sakata Gintoki into the room. Kada skimmed through the snap shots of Gintoki and his fights with Shinra and Tsukuyo. All of a sudden, this was amusing to Kada, very amusing.

"So he's the silver-haired samurai? I have had my encounters with this fool in the past," Kada whispered to herself.

"I know the truth. This Sakata Gintoki is not from this world."

"Men!" Kada barked out an order. A lowly Shinra assistant immediately went to her side, willing to abide to whatever command that she so uttered.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Contact the spy in Kabukichou, tell her to isolate our new target, Sakata Gintoki."

**Kabukichou**

Gintoki was a hero in the hearts of the citizens of Kabukichou. He cemented his legacy in the town's folklore with the defeat of the strongest Shinra squadron and sent the most dangerous assassin of Kada all singlehandedly. These feats were almost fiction, tall tales, unimaginable. To think a man, thought to be dead, would accomplish such incomprehensible tasks was synonymous to David defeating Goliath.

The people, after experiencing the agony of death of loved ones, fear of their future, were celebrating.

Gintoki was not. He had alleviated the strife that had taken over Kabukichou, for now, but he had to solve the problems that have been aching him for so long. How do I get back? Should I get back? He pondered whether or not he should reveal his true identity, not that he wasn't Sakata Gintoki or anything, but that he wasn't from this universe and that everything that has happened to the people were the result of an indirect joke of his to a hemorrhoidic-ninja.

Gintoki was not celebrating. He was in the meeting room, the center figure of the conversation. Diversions, strategies, everything had to be rewritten, redone, to accommodate this monstrous human. This was the strategy being debated right now. Was he going to be used a workhorse and be expected to defend all of Kabukichou? Should he be utilized to maintain a stable defense so that they may eventually wear out Princess Kada and be able to exist peacefully again? The debate was heated.

Jirocho was presiding over these discussions, not fixated onto the topic. Gintoki watched him, sitting down, unmoving, calculating. Gintoki saw Shinpachi argue furiously with another man. The scene was like a battle going on, him being the centerpiece for their fight.

Gintoki watched as a hooded person walk up next to Jirocho, whisper something into his ear and hand a piece of paper to Jirocho, then disappeared from the room. Jirocho waited for the hooded figure to leave, then he stood up.

Everyone became immediately quiet when Jirocho stood, signifying the commanding authority that he had and the respect that those served him presented.

"I have just received word from one of our posts," Jirocho began. The mood was tense, was there another attack so soon after the first two? They barely held off the initial two. The first, they were unprepared, completely caught off guard, had Gintoki not arbitrarily returned, they would've been demolished completely. The second, another surprise assault, headed by one of the most feared assassins of Princess Kada, was squashed with resounding defeat, thanks to Gintoki. Both times they had been completely unprepared, but a third would destroy Kabukichou. Even the legendary Shiroyasha was bound to be exhausted and fatigued after such encounters.

"What happened, Jirocho?" One of the strategists asked Jirocho.

"We have received word from Kada's camp," Jirocho announced.

"What does she want?" Another prepped up.

"She wants to negotiate a ceasefire," Jirocho told the group. "This is the official proclamation from her camp." Jirocho handed a piece of paper to his daughter, Chin Pirako as she began to read the letter from the Kada Camp.

"_To the citizens of Kabukichou, _

_ For the past months, our factions have fought, a different goal in mind for a better Kabukichou and its citizens. Our conflicting ideals have spurned ourselves to bear arms in order to protect our goals and beliefs, I propose we end this. We have suffered many casualties on both ends as our attempts to bleed each other out have come with a hefty price. This is why I propose a ceasefire, a peace between our two factions, in forging a bond to create a better Kabukichou. _

_ The location for negotiations of a ceasefire shall be held at a neutral location. The location that I have determined is the Shogun's Palace. The meeting for terms of a ceasefire will be held in three days at sunset. I do have one contingency before we meet, and that is that this new fighter, Sakata Gintoki, be a part of the negotiations. If he does not appear, the negotiations will be off. Also, if you choose not to show up to the negotiations, I shall presume that you do not accept the concept of ending this war and combat will continue." _

Chin Pirako finished reading the proclamation, staring into the faces of the room, searching for the emotion that was to be felt after hearing such a letter. Was there to be a burst of happiness?

"This is a joyous moment for Kabukichou and its citizens, a step towards the right direction in achieving peace for the people, however, I am hesitant to trust any proposal directed and managed by Kada. This includes the fact that she picked the meeting place and the time, meaning she has the upper hand in this situation. An ambush to take out the higher-ups of Kabukichou, and the contingency that Gintoki be there?" Jirocho brought up.

There was certainly some agreement that this was indeed very suspicious, Kada was not to be trusted, and arranging for such a negotiation so out of the blue only led to more suspicion.

"So what do we do, Jirocho? Do we just not show up?"

"No, we must go. She made it clear that if we didn't show up, the battles would resume. Our best bet right now is to abide by her commands and show up to the peace negotiations."

Jirocho smiled. The negotiations were unexpected but Kabukichou had the opportunity to finally be peaceful. The presence of Gintoki had certainly changed the war.

"I shall be present at the negotiations, alongside Gintoki, to squash any attempts by Kada to try anything suspicious. Also, we have three days to prepare for the negotiations. We can scout the area, bottom line, we must be prepared if Kada tries to double cross us."

Everyone in the room seemed to conform to the plan, and with that notion, they dispersed.

Gintoki got up, dodged a few people headed for the exit, and went to talk to Shinpachi. He saw that Shinpachi was using a cellphone and talking to someone.

"Yeah! I can't wait to see you!" Shinpachi said as he hung up.

"Who was that, Shinpachi?" Gintoki asked.

"Oh, it's a surprise, Gintoki," Shinpachi answered with a joyous smile.

**Three Days Later **

It was the day of the negotiations. They were to be held at the Shogun's Palace. How is this something that would work? The rumor that surfaced around Kabukichou is that the Bakufu has grown tired of the endless fighting between the two groups and will now act as a mediator to assuage the conflict forever.

Entering the Shogun's Palace, Gintoki had been briefed by Shinpachi on the situation at the protocols that were to be taken. Gintoki was to accompany Jirocho and Shinpachi, they three shall represent Kabukichou and they will meet up with Kada and whomever will represent her.

Half of the remaining Kabukichou forces are accompanying them, Zenzou and Pirako are the bodyguards that will be watching over the representatives of Kabukichou.

They were to sit on a table, across from another table ten feet away from where Kada and her people would sit. They were to sit and then begin negotiations. Gintoki was to be Eye Candy, to be a pleasant reminder for Kada's camp as the Avenger that has unleashed his fury onto their soldiers.

Shinpachi and Jirocho will play a good cop, bad cop routine to polarize and hope to cause disarray onto Kada's camp.

Gintoki entered the Negotiation Room in the Palace, a wide, magnificently built, ornate, grand room.

As expected, there were two tables, placed ten feet from each other, in the center of the room. Kada and her people had already arrived. Kada was the only representative for her camp where she had one bodyguard behind her and Shinra waiting in the back of the room.

Seating themselves, the Kabukichou camp waited, as both sides stared each other down. Gintoki sat in the middle, Jirocho to his right and Shinpachi to his left, but that was not his concern, his concern was that he did not spot Tsukuyo as one of the bodyguards. She just had that hooded figure that gave Jirocho the Proclamation for Peace.

That was the worrisome part, whose side is this hooded figure on?

"So, Sakata Gintoki?" Kada broke the ice with a chuckle of Gintoki's name.

"You have caused quite the havoc amongst the ranks of my men," she continued.

"We aren't here to small talk, Kada. Are you going to cease your assaults or not?" Jirocho responded very brashly.

Kada, with her fan covering her mouth, hid a smile.

"Jirocho, oh so ever headstrong. I'll stop my assaults on Kabukichou," Kada conceded in a lower tone.

This caught everyone by surprise, nobody expected Kada to do such a thing. Gintoki even sensed that Zenzou and Chin Pirako were taken by surprise.

"There is one contingency that I have for my withdrawal," Kada continued.

Here comes the fun part, Gintoki thought to himself.

"I have spies that have been keeping an eye on Kabukichou since this conflict has begun and I have come to the conclusion on some very frightening issue, and I wish to disclose this information with Sakata Gintoki alone," Kada proposed.

"We don't have time for this!" It was Shinpachi who snapped this time.

Kada held her hand up, signaling to Shinpachi that she was to speak.

"If you do not allow me to speak to Sakata Gintoki, privately, then I will not withdraw my assaults on Kabukichou," Kada snapped back.

Shinpachi stammered, confused on how to respond to such a request.

"All I ask is that all of you representing Kabukichou, minus Sakata Gintoki, leave this room for a brief moment as I discuss something with him. If he and I can come to terms, then I will withdraw my assaults, does that sound fair?" Kada backed the Kabukichou camp against a wall. Shinpachi gave Jirocho a glance, seeing him nod his head, Shinpachi, Chin Pirako, Zenzou and Jirocho left.

"Be careful, Gin-san, Kada is a sneaky one," Shinpachi whispered into Gintoki's ear as he left.

And then it was only Gintoki.

"So, Sakata Gintoki, you have been quite a headache the past few days," Kada spoke up. Her voice has become more menacing, echoing loudly throughout the grandeur room.

"Only trying to do my job," Gintoki answered.

Kada let out a laugh.

"What exactly is your job?" Kada dared to ask.

"My job has been the same all these years, what I have strived to protect has remained the same," Gintoki answered calmly.

Kada laughed again as she made a gesture with her hand, almost immediately, two Shinra carried a metallic capsule in between the two negotiating tables and quickly left.

Gintoki inspected the capsule, metallic in nature and two and a half meters wide, sturdy and bulky. It was almost like a casket.

"I have a serious question for you, Sakata Gintoki," Kada's voice got more serious.

"What are you doing in this world?"

Gintoki seemed quite perplexed by the sudden question.

"I don't comprehend…"

Kada snapped her fingers. Instantly, the metallic capsule let out a puff of cold air, sending chills through Gintoki's skin. The top of the lid of the capsule slid open and a body inclined upwards.

"What are you doing in this world, I'll ask you again," Kada commanded.

Gintoki was too stunned to answer. He had too busy staring at the body that just came out of the capsule.

It was someone with silver hair, pale white skin that couldn't mask the wounds and cuts that were around the face.

It was himself, Sakata Gintoki.

**_Thanks for Reading Chapter 5! I will update as soon as Possible! _**


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